Deron Williams

A free agent in the summer of 2012, Williams had a chance to sign with the Dallas Mavericks, his hometown team. But the eight-year NBA veteran chose to stay with the Nets, who were in the midst of moving from New Jersey to a new $1 billion area Brooklyn. "I just liked the direction we were going,” says Williams. “I was excited about the new arena. I was excited about being in New York – my family has come to love this city." The Nets rewarded him with a five-year, $100 million contract. As well they should: No single player is more important to the re-branded franchise, which sold 11,000 season tickets to its new fan base. -- Reported by Tom Van Riper and Brian Solomon

Deron On Social

Muthu Alagappan

22

Consultant

Ayasdi

The Houston native and longtime fan of the NBA Rockets developed a set of advanced statistical basketball metrics, and he has been contacted by several NBA clubs interested in partnerships. Alagappan, meanwhile, is now enrolled at Stanford Medical School. Whether his future lies in medicine or as the NBA's version of Billy Beane, time will tell.

Usain Bolt

26

Sprinter

The six-time Olympic gold medalist has been dubbed the "World's Most Marketable Athlete" by the website SportsPromedia.com, which notes that he "brings the promise of something historic with every appearance." Bolt's $9 million a year deal with Puma is the biggest ever for a track & field athlete.

Michael Bradley

25

Midfielder

AS Roma

The 25-year-old midfielder from Princeton, N.J., became the youngest player in the MLS to be sold to a club in Europe in 2006. A stalwart on the U.S. National team, he's the first American to play for Italian club AS Roma.

Dan Carey

28

Director of Business Development

Wasserman Media Group

A onetime executive with the NFL's sponsorship group who led relationships with Procter & Gamble and Papa Johns, Carey now oversees sponsorship sales for Wasserman's Action Sports and Olympic group. He is credited for substantially boosting growth of USA Cycling sponsorship revenue.

Sidney Crosby

25

Center

Pittsburgh Penguins

If and when the NHL gets going again, it will need to once again turn to "The Next One" to market its way back into fans' hearts and minds

Andrew Daines

26

CEO

Preplay Sports

Along with his college buddies from Cornell, founded PrePlay Sports, a maker of mobile sports games. Secured $3.6 million in angel investing while inking deals with MLB and the NHL , and readying to launch an NFL game.

Anthony Davis

19

Forward

New Orleans Hornets

With Chris Paul now in L.A. the No. 1 overall draft pick out of Kentucky is the key figure in determining whether owner Tom Benson can make basketball work again in New Orleans.

Gabrielle Douglas

17

Gymnast

US Olympic Team

The "Flying Squirrel" was the first black female to win the individual all-around gymnastics competition at the Olympics — and she could be back in four years at age 20. Douglas has also guest-starred on "The Vampire Diaries."

Kevin Durant

24

Forward

Oklahoma City Thunder

Right there with LeBron James and any other top player, Durant is chiefly responsible for building the small market Thunder into a strong national NBA brand.

Keith Goldner

23

Chief Analyst

numberFire

After graduating Magna Cum Laude at Northwestern, Goldner turned down offers to work for professional sports teams. Instead, he's crunching numbers to evaluate player performance and predict winners from Fantasy Football to March Madness.

Bryce Harper

A much-hyped phenom who's got the nation's capital buzzing over baseball. More than anyone else, the two anchor the franchise's future.

Dwight Howard

27

Center

Los Angeles Lakers

Joins a long list of great Laker centers, one that includes George Mikan, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O'Neal. If Howard does for the club what O'Neal did in the early 2000s - help the Lakers to three straight titles and a 58% spike in valuation - he'll add some $500 million to the team's value.

LeBron James

28

Forward

Miami Heat

With a long-awaited championship trophy now on his resume along with his two Olympic gold medals, James truly reigns as the NBA's chief global brand. Sports marketing experts say the 2012 ring is worth $10 million in added endorsement dough.

Brian Kaiser

29

Chief Technology Officer

Hudl

Kaiser co-founded Hudl in 2006 at the University of Nebraska to enhance the football team's coach-to-player connection with video technology. Now the company is working with teams from high school to the pros, in multiple sports.

Matt Kemp

28

Outfielder

Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers' top player and poster boy for baseball's new television-driven money train, the $160 million extension he signed last year didn't deter Guggenheim Partners from spending $2.15 billion to buy the club.

Alex Kline

18

Founder

The Recruit Scoop/Rivals

Who better to cover upcoming high school basketball prospects than a high school student? Kline, who works at a nexus between reporter and promoter, founded The Recruit Scoop website at age 15. Now in college himself, he carries major clout with players and coaches.

Kirk Lacob

24

Assistant General Manager

Golden State Warriors

Stanford grad who jokes that he "majored in basketball" was in the perfect position to advance the Golden State Warriors when his father bought the team in 2010. As Assistant GM, Lacob has a major role in scouting and analytics.

Rory McIlroy

23

Golfer

PGA

At 23, McIlroy is already a two-time major champion and the current World Number One. He was No. 91 on Forbes' list of the world's highest paid athletes.

Andy Murray

25

Tennis Player

ATP

In 2012, Murray crashed the party at the top of the tennis world, winning the U.S. Open and a gold medal at the London Olympics.

Megha Parekh

27

Attorney

Proskauer

Onetime Boston Red Sox intern now facilitates major M&A transactions for Proskauer's sports practice, including the recent sales of the Houston Astros and Cleveland Browns. She also serves on the board of directors of Women in Sports and Events.

Jezali Ratliff

29

Director, Consulting Group

Wasserman Media Group

Instrumental in developing global sports marketing strategy for PepsiCo, enabling different markets across the globe to use a consistent set if metrics to evaluate sponsorship opportunities.

Derrick Rose

24

Point Guard

Chicago Bulls

In 2011, Rose became the youngest player to ever win the NBA's Most Valuable Player award. Now, with his sponsor Adidas, he has turned his rehab from an ACL tear into an online video series.

Ronda Rousey

25

MMA Fighter

Strikeforce

Rousey, generally considered the world's No. 1 women's pound-for-pound MMA fighter, was previously the first U.S. woman to win an Olympic medal in Judo. Her dreaded armbar move has kept her undefeated.

Stephen Strasburg

24

Pitcher

Washington Nationals

Fireballer was the first player to bring excitement to D.C. baseball since the club's move from Montreal when he debuted with a 14 strikeout performance in June of 2010. After an injury cost him the 2011 season, Strasburg came back strong to help the Nats to a 2012 division title.

Mike Trout

21

Outfielder

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Trout still lives with his parents, but as 2012 MLB Rookie of the Year, he became the youngest member of the 30-30 (homers and steals) club.

Rebecca Shaw Whitener

28

Director of Business Development

Major League Baseball Advanced Media

As the Director of Business Development for the Internet arm of Major League Baseball, Whitener negotiates new digital distribution partnerships and expands MLBAM's licensing portfolio and tech service activities.

Caroline Wozniacki

22

Tennis Player

WTA

The Danish star held the WTA No.1 ranking for 67 of 68 weeks from 2010 to 2012. Now she's releasing her own underwear line.

Michael Zavodsky

28

Senior Vice President

Barclays Center

From intern to upper management in seven years, the 29-year-old Zavodsky oversees corporate sales for the Barclays Center, the new $1 billion home of the Brooklyn Nets. He's also led the charge to fill athe arena's calendar with boxing and college basketball.

A longtime consultant to the sports and entertainment industry, Carter founded the Los Angeles-based Sport Business Group in 1999. He also serves as Executive Director of the University of Southern California's Sports Business Institute.